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The Adventures of Gerard: Great Classics
Over wine in a café, after 70 years, many spent planting cabbages, Brigadier Gerard recounts his youthful peak aged 25. He faced certain death at every turn, while outwitting enemies of France. "Vive l'Emperor!" he cried across Europe. He knew his Hussar cavalry "rascals" would follow him, the best swordsman, rider, and wooer of ladies whether in Venice or Russia.
1 How Brigadier Gerard Lost His Ear
2 How the Brigadier Captured Saragossa
3 How the Brigadier Slew the Fox
4 How the Brigadier Saved the Army
5 How the Brigadier Triumphed in England
6 How the Brigadier Rode to Minsk
7 How the Brigadier Bore Himself at Waterloo
8 The Last Adventure of the Brigadier
1 How Brigadier Gerard Lost His Ear
2 How the Brigadier Captured Saragossa
3 How the Brigadier Slew the Fox
4 How the Brigadier Saved the Army
5 How the Brigadier Triumphed in England
6 How the Brigadier Rode to Minsk
7 How the Brigadier Bore Himself at Waterloo
8 The Last Adventure of the Brigadier
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First published September 22, 1903
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About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
15.8k books24.3k followersSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
April 24, 2013
At Waterloo, although, in a sense, I was present, I was unable to fight, and the enemy was victorious. It is not for me to say that there is a connection between these two things. You know me too well, my friends, to imagine that I would make such a claim. But it gives matter for thought, and some have drawn flattering conclusions from it.
Thus does our old friend Etienne Gerard begin his penultimate tale of adventure, reminiscing convivially about that horrible day at Waterloo. His characteristic reserve and modesty are obviously on full display, for is not humility one of the greatest traits of this very great man? Not on your life…and we wouldn’t have it any other way. I was once again struck by the ways in which Gerard is so similar in character to Harry Paget Flashman, and yet also so diametrically opposed to him. Where Flashy blunders treacherously from misadventure to misadventure in a cowardly attempt to escape danger while still managing to cover himself in glory and praise, Gerard nobly blunders from misadventure to misadventure in a valiant attempt to singlehandedly win every battle in the Napoleonic wars and manages to escape with his life despite his foolhardiness and obtuseness. Some glory adheres to him, but it’s unclear how much is truly universal in its acclaim and how much is only in his own mind. Of course, there’s usually a woman involved as well. And she is always smitten to the core by our brave and dashing hussar. Who wouldn’t be?
Conan Doyle certainly seems to have had a knack for creating memorable, even great, characters. Sherlock Holmes is of course an icon, a literary giant that has stood the test of time. I hope that Gerard does as well, for while he is certainly less well-known than his consulting detective confrere, he is no less intriguing a character. As with Holmes it is due mostly to his faults that Gerard ought to win a place in your hearts and minds. A bigger braggart and narcissist could little be imagined (Harry Paget Flashman notwithstanding), and yet he is a lovable egoist for all of that. Gerard’s heart is always in the right place and if he happens to believe that everyone (even his enemies) truly love him, is he really, perhaps, all that wrong? He is, certainly, an eminently likable old fellow.
This is sadly the last volume of Gerard’s adventures and it runs the gamut of chivalrous exploits undertaken in the name of a lady, to affairs of honour (in the name of a lady), and let’s not forget the martial exploits in the name of the Emperor which of course override all other concerns (though sometimes a lady *is* involved). It’s a pleasure to listen as the Brigadier recalls his days of glory and for all of their inherent humour (usually indiscernable to Gerard) there is also some pathos evoked by them, for it is apparent that this jovial old grognard living on half-pay and memories alone has nothing else save the planting of cabbages with which to while away his final days, for he remained loyal to his beloved emperor and his own prospects and standing faded away as the star of Napoleon itself dimmed and disappeared. This last was certainly not without some attempts by Gerard to undo the wrong done to his master, but that’s a tale you will have to hear for yourself. I urge you to do so, the Brigadier is always a genial companion. Ah, by the bye you don’t mind springing for a bottle of burgundy, do you? There’s a good fellow.
Also posted at Shelf Inflicted
January 18, 2018
There are 8 stories in this collection, but I only listened to the first one & then quit.
The narrator isn't great & he's slow, even at 1.5x speed. I could probably put up with that, but there is a background haze whenever he speaks & complete silence when he doesn't. I'm guessing that Tantor tried to up the quality on this from something with a much lower bit rate. That also means the different voices & accents are sometime blurred to incoherence. The two are irritating beyond belief.
I was expecting something funny. It is, vaguely, at times. Overall, it's pretty boring.
The narrator isn't great & he's slow, even at 1.5x speed. I could probably put up with that, but there is a background haze whenever he speaks & complete silence when he doesn't. I'm guessing that Tantor tried to up the quality on this from something with a much lower bit rate. That also means the different voices & accents are sometime blurred to incoherence. The two are irritating beyond belief.
I was expecting something funny. It is, vaguely, at times. Overall, it's pretty boring.
September 10, 2014
I just finished The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard and The Adventures of Gerard. Gerard is a fictional underling of Napoleon. He's a mixture between Superman and The Shell Answer Man, he modestly admits he's the best swordsman in the Empire, he is a real Boy Scout/knight in shining armor. In a series of escapades he is as likely to best his adversaries by wit as by sword. The stories are well written and fast paced. These books have been overshadowed by Sherlock! READ THEM!
December 26, 2021
The Napoleonic Tales series of books starring lovable buffoon Etienne Gerard are pure gold.
April 28, 2025
Eight more fascinating tall tales involving Napoleon to include the retreat from Moscow, Waterloo, Spain, and even St. Helena. I wish there were more!
August 8, 2020
One probably has to be English to get the most out of Etienne Gerard, who is one of Conan Doyle's most beautifully-drawn characters (as good as Sir Nigel or even Sherlock) and a wonderfully bitchy British satire on the French. Etienne is an old Napoleonic grognard who attributes much of the Emperor's success to himself, gallant beyond belief, with a gallic overestimation of his abilities, charms and achievements to rival Cyrano. If you understand the centuries-old Franco-British rivalry, you will revel in his adventures. The episode of the fox, especially, brought tears to my eyes. Gerard fumbles and brags his way through the Napoleonic wars, managing to make a complete cock of just about everything yet somehow escaping with the credit. If you enjoyed RFDelderfield's 'Seven men of Gascony', the Flashman series or the brilliant Ridley Scott movie 'The Duellists', you'll get a buzz out of this over-wrought Hussar.
November 3, 2022
For all Brigadier Gerard’s absurdities, I suspect that Arthur Conan Doyle has a certain fondness for the bragging and swaggering French soldier. Certainly Conan Doyle wrote a fair sprinkle of stories with Gerard in them.
I have spoken at length about Gerard in my review of The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard, and will keep this review shorter therefore. Suffice it to say that Gerard (if the older raconteur is to be believed) was present at all the main fighting areas of the Napoleonic wars.
Stories can be found with Gerard in Spain, Italy, Russia, Prussia, France (of course), and even Britain. It might be interesting for an historian to compare the stories and see if it was historically and geographically possible for Gerard to be in all the places he says without teleporting between locations.
However we do not need to worry about this. Gerard’s stories are self-serving and probably embroidered. Did he really offer to fight ten men at once? However there are enough asides to convince us that there is some truth in them.
Many of Gerard’s adventures are less successful than perhaps he wishes to convince us. His attempt to help Napoleon evade capture is mentioned proudly, but he only bought the former Emperor a few weeks of grace. The opinions of others are often less flattering than Gerard’s self-opinion (he thinks he could have won the Battle of Waterloo had he been fighting there), and Gerard includes these too.
I imagine the reader will share something of Conan Doyle’s ambivalent attitude towards his hero. Certainly I do. The admirable and the ridiculous walk hand in hand in Gerard’s world. He is able to beat the English at their own game while fox hunting (Conan Doyle would have been more in favour of the blood sport than many modern readers), which is impressive, but he deceives himself into thinking that the outraged English will admire him for that.
In another story, Gerard must light a beacon to tell another troop of soldiers where to move. However the territory is dangerous, and he is soon captured. Face with execution, Gerard asks to be burned to death, knowing that the sight will act as a beacon.
This is the noblest action Gerard ever commits, but he spoils the effect by anxiously trying to persuade a defector from the enemy side to tell his own side what he has done. It is not enough to be brave and heroic. He has to be lauded for it.
Perhaps without meaning to do it, Conan Doyle exposes the horror and futility of war. Gerard often mentions friends and comrades who die, often in terrible circumstances. He is the lucky one, a man of little intelligence, but with enough dash and resource to get through the war with only a few injuries, including the loss of an ear.
Still, what is it all for? Gerard’s adventures are futile, since France will lose the war in the end. His loyalty to Napoleon is misplaced, since the egotistical Emperor has taken on too many enemies, and ensured his own destruction.
So Napoleon must retreat from Spain and Russia. His attempt to come back will stall at Waterloo. An attempt to rescue him yet again will be foiled by his death. Gerard, lacking the acumen and moral flexibility to move over to the winning side, will live and die a humbler existence, with only his embellished memories to sustain him.
That is what Conan Doyle thinks about the Napoleonic wars, but the same might be said of any war too. However these are not sad or elegiac tales of human defeat. The tone remains light-hearted and fun. Whatever the outcome of the wars, Conan Doyle is concerned with the adventures that war generated. Perhaps on his own terms, Gerard was right after all.
I have spoken at length about Gerard in my review of The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard, and will keep this review shorter therefore. Suffice it to say that Gerard (if the older raconteur is to be believed) was present at all the main fighting areas of the Napoleonic wars.
Stories can be found with Gerard in Spain, Italy, Russia, Prussia, France (of course), and even Britain. It might be interesting for an historian to compare the stories and see if it was historically and geographically possible for Gerard to be in all the places he says without teleporting between locations.
However we do not need to worry about this. Gerard’s stories are self-serving and probably embroidered. Did he really offer to fight ten men at once? However there are enough asides to convince us that there is some truth in them.
Many of Gerard’s adventures are less successful than perhaps he wishes to convince us. His attempt to help Napoleon evade capture is mentioned proudly, but he only bought the former Emperor a few weeks of grace. The opinions of others are often less flattering than Gerard’s self-opinion (he thinks he could have won the Battle of Waterloo had he been fighting there), and Gerard includes these too.
I imagine the reader will share something of Conan Doyle’s ambivalent attitude towards his hero. Certainly I do. The admirable and the ridiculous walk hand in hand in Gerard’s world. He is able to beat the English at their own game while fox hunting (Conan Doyle would have been more in favour of the blood sport than many modern readers), which is impressive, but he deceives himself into thinking that the outraged English will admire him for that.
In another story, Gerard must light a beacon to tell another troop of soldiers where to move. However the territory is dangerous, and he is soon captured. Face with execution, Gerard asks to be burned to death, knowing that the sight will act as a beacon.
This is the noblest action Gerard ever commits, but he spoils the effect by anxiously trying to persuade a defector from the enemy side to tell his own side what he has done. It is not enough to be brave and heroic. He has to be lauded for it.
Perhaps without meaning to do it, Conan Doyle exposes the horror and futility of war. Gerard often mentions friends and comrades who die, often in terrible circumstances. He is the lucky one, a man of little intelligence, but with enough dash and resource to get through the war with only a few injuries, including the loss of an ear.
Still, what is it all for? Gerard’s adventures are futile, since France will lose the war in the end. His loyalty to Napoleon is misplaced, since the egotistical Emperor has taken on too many enemies, and ensured his own destruction.
So Napoleon must retreat from Spain and Russia. His attempt to come back will stall at Waterloo. An attempt to rescue him yet again will be foiled by his death. Gerard, lacking the acumen and moral flexibility to move over to the winning side, will live and die a humbler existence, with only his embellished memories to sustain him.
That is what Conan Doyle thinks about the Napoleonic wars, but the same might be said of any war too. However these are not sad or elegiac tales of human defeat. The tone remains light-hearted and fun. Whatever the outcome of the wars, Conan Doyle is concerned with the adventures that war generated. Perhaps on his own terms, Gerard was right after all.
September 29, 2018
Gerard was an interesting fellow, but he thought quite a lot of himself.
Amusing and entertaining.
Amusing and entertaining.
November 8, 2021
More fun with the glorious hussar.
Rejoinung the adventures of the hussar who is untroubled by modesty. Not quite as delightful as the first book, but still a fun read.
Rejoinung the adventures of the hussar who is untroubled by modesty. Not quite as delightful as the first book, but still a fun read.
April 23, 2010
Libro muy divertido. Tanto por el humor y la ironía a costa de ese oficial francés de los Húsares de Napoleón, como por las rocambolescas situaciones en las que le mete.
Formato de folletín tipo Alejandro Dumas (héroe en apuros muy serios que siempre sale airoso gracias al ingenio, la fortuna y el valor), pero con una vuelta de tuerca humorística.
Conan Doyle se lo debió pasar mejor escribiendo este personaje, que nosotros leyéndolo :)
Formato de folletín tipo Alejandro Dumas (héroe en apuros muy serios que siempre sale airoso gracias al ingenio, la fortuna y el valor), pero con una vuelta de tuerca humorística.
Conan Doyle se lo debió pasar mejor escribiendo este personaje, que nosotros leyéndolo :)
July 17, 2022
This is the second collection of Gerard stories I’ve read, and they have impressed me as much as the others.
They are still remarkably good tales, cleverly written, historically accurate and full of humour.
The greatest delight about these stories is trying to work of if our hero was as he maintains, a super-warrior and stud-muffin, a charlatan or simply a lonely old man buying the affection of his fellow drinkers with his made-up tales.
I was struck that in many ways he could also be a Pepé Le Pew character, concocting reasons why women refuse his advances, never considering they simply find HIM unattractive.
Some reoccurring themes/plot devices in the stories do begin to show themselves.
Eavesdropping/hiding in cellars and attics is a favourite of the author, often then revealing secret exits. A heroic comrade will usually have to die to further the narrative too.
However, they are what they are – rip roaring Napoleonic adventures.
Rather than reading a collection back-to-back, I would suggest reading this in tandem with other books and dip in to this one from time to time.
They are still remarkably good tales, cleverly written, historically accurate and full of humour.
The greatest delight about these stories is trying to work of if our hero was as he maintains, a super-warrior and stud-muffin, a charlatan or simply a lonely old man buying the affection of his fellow drinkers with his made-up tales.
I was struck that in many ways he could also be a Pepé Le Pew character, concocting reasons why women refuse his advances, never considering they simply find HIM unattractive.
Some reoccurring themes/plot devices in the stories do begin to show themselves.
Eavesdropping/hiding in cellars and attics is a favourite of the author, often then revealing secret exits. A heroic comrade will usually have to die to further the narrative too.
However, they are what they are – rip roaring Napoleonic adventures.
Rather than reading a collection back-to-back, I would suggest reading this in tandem with other books and dip in to this one from time to time.
April 20, 2024
The second volume recounting the adventures of a French soldier during the Napoleanic wars. Brigadier Gerard is the finest horseman, swordsmand and lover of women in the French army. We know this because he's regularly telling us so.
But though Gerard doesn't lack for ego, he has the chops to back it up. In this volume, he sneaks into a Spanish town during the Peninsular to blow up a powder magazine; inadvertantly gets involved in a fox hunt while escaping from British troops during a scouting mission; gets briefly captured by Cossacks during the Russian winter retreat; saves Napolean from capture by a team of Prussian horsemen who were specifically chosen to capture the Emperor; and fights a duel for the honor of a lady who might not want him to fight the duel. All are great stories, full of action, suspence and humor. Whether Gerard is a true hero who just likes bragging about his accomplishment or a braggard who is telling us tall tales in his old age, he is definitely a great storyteller.
But though Gerard doesn't lack for ego, he has the chops to back it up. In this volume, he sneaks into a Spanish town during the Peninsular to blow up a powder magazine; inadvertantly gets involved in a fox hunt while escaping from British troops during a scouting mission; gets briefly captured by Cossacks during the Russian winter retreat; saves Napolean from capture by a team of Prussian horsemen who were specifically chosen to capture the Emperor; and fights a duel for the honor of a lady who might not want him to fight the duel. All are great stories, full of action, suspence and humor. Whether Gerard is a true hero who just likes bragging about his accomplishment or a braggard who is telling us tall tales in his old age, he is definitely a great storyteller.
January 1, 2023
Entertaining historical listening 🎶🔰
Another will written British 🏰 and European historical adventure thriller novel of short stories about Gerard adventures in the Napoleonic Wars by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Each story is different with Gerard as the central character in each story. There is lots of action and violence as Gerard escapes the adventures he gets himself into. I would recommend this novel to readers of historical novels 👍🔰 of this time period. Enjoy the adventure of reading or listening to books 📚. 2023 👑😃😯
Clean up ☝time for the kindle fire 🔥
Another will written British 🏰 and European historical adventure thriller novel of short stories about Gerard adventures in the Napoleonic Wars by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Each story is different with Gerard as the central character in each story. There is lots of action and violence as Gerard escapes the adventures he gets himself into. I would recommend this novel to readers of historical novels 👍🔰 of this time period. Enjoy the adventure of reading or listening to books 📚. 2023 👑😃😯
Clean up ☝time for the kindle fire 🔥
April 8, 2019
At first I was on the 3-star side of this, and then I realized how well the Brigadier and his author are matched. Conan Doyle's tendency to wax eloquent works very well with the vainglorious Gerard, whose prowess is only exceeded by his opinion of it. It's a humor that rarely surfaces in the foreground, but instead bubbles and simmers constantly, shading every action and observation in a thin veneer of farcical incredulity.
March 16, 2023
Funny. Thrilling. He gallops ahead of the fox hunt, or pursuers of his imitation Emporer.
Gérard feels his age, all 70 years. Buy him wine and he tells tall tales of his youth, saving Napoleon, his army. At the last, he views the body. He exchanges glances with women and knows his moustaches have conquered again, whether Venice noble lady, deceptive Russian, or corpulent inn owner. His fed-up superior pushes the boaster out of his tent.
Gérard feels his age, all 70 years. Buy him wine and he tells tall tales of his youth, saving Napoleon, his army. At the last, he views the body. He exchanges glances with women and knows his moustaches have conquered again, whether Venice noble lady, deceptive Russian, or corpulent inn owner. His fed-up superior pushes the boaster out of his tent.
February 20, 2018
The stories are fast moving and - given the were designed to be 'historical' at the time of writing, they haven't really dated. But the cloth-brained and pompously preening lead character (and yes, I realise that's the point of the stories) can only really be taken in small doses before he becomes insufferable!
July 3, 2022
"The Adventures of Gerard " is a hilariously understated comedy of a novel. If "Gerard" had a favorite song it would have been "Oh Lord, It is Hard to Be Humble, When you are perfect in Every Way......". I smiled and laughed through the entire book. Who would have thought Sir Arthur Conan Doyle could have written this. Recommended for those with a certain sense of humor.
May 23, 2019
Didn't finish it because I had to return it to the library and wasn't interested enough to renew. Enjoyed the bumbling, clueless main character's retelling of his adventures, but it was slow going a lot of the time.
May 31, 2018
More stories with Colonel Gerard and his exploits in the military under Napoleon.
May 9, 2020
It's swashbuckling nonsense if you're into that sort of thing.
Not the best or worst of its kind.
Not the best or worst of its kind.
October 5, 2021
Hero or buffoon?
A masterful storyline of an expert horsemen and swordsman. Devoted to his emperor and to his company. A realistic view of the Napoleanic wars.
A masterful storyline of an expert horsemen and swordsman. Devoted to his emperor and to his company. A realistic view of the Napoleanic wars.
September 21, 2023
I was a big fan of the author when I was at school so I probably read this in 1966.
September 20, 2024
Dated.
November 10, 2024
Collection of short stories. I love when Gerard becomes one of the most hated men in England without ever knowing when he does what to him is just a lark.
March 16, 2025
A couple of the stories are funny, but not as good as earlier Exploits. In part because Doyle does more to tie these adventures to fact.
Narrator is not strong.
Narrator is not strong.
December 6, 2025
Entretenido 💖
September 4, 2022
The things Gerard does are pretty cool and his adventures are fun, but I wish he wasn’t so self-aggrandizing.
January 19, 2018
I think these stories are fun. I saw there is an annotated version, which I think would be helpful since I would enjoy checking out the facts from French (or British) history. I think it is hysterical and fascinating that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a series from a "French" perspective and does such a great job with this comedic character. Brigadier Gerard reminds me a bit of Inspector Clousseau, Maxwell Smart (of Get Smart) and Monty Python, but Gerard has an unbelievably inflated ego. He is sincerely and blindly full of himself, but not in the usual demanding, selfish, obnoxious manner of true narcissists. Each story puts Gerard in an impossible situation, but he manages to escape anyway (although many others around him are not so fortunate). These satirical stories were originally published serially, then later compiled into books.
November 25, 2014
Really enjoyable. Doyle's fictitious soldier of the Napoleonic Wars is based on actual written accounts from cavalry officers in that army, during those campaigns. Etienne Gerard, a hussar of the French Army, is dashing, flamboyant, and unbelievably full of himself. In every life-and-death scenario, his actions are determined by how much glory his death in the present circumstances would bring, and hardly a daring episode goes by in which his heart is not swelled with the thought of his own nobility, courage, or glory. These short stories are historically interesting, the action is cleverly done and exciting, and the hero and his comic comportment are very entertaining.
April 1, 2016
Doyle created the unstoppable Etienne Gerard, a colonel who serves under Napoleon. Doyle really captured the audience with his courageous (and kind of arrogant but still fun) Etienne Gerard. I really felt like I was transported back in time. There were a couple of other stories but they were not included in this set or version that I have. They are:
"The Marriage of the Brigadier"
"Uncle Bernac"
"The Marriage of the Brigadier"
"Uncle Bernac"
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews